Canadian Labour Reporter

8 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 July 21, 2014 FACe oFF FACe oFF We saw a number of big unions and union-funded groups undertake a massive — and expensive — media campaign to try and influence voters. Such social bargaining is not only essential to unions fulfilling their responsibility to members, but helps all workers by improving labour laws and working conditions. Pro: Labour laws impact the bargaining table UnionS — All UnionS — have a responsibility to their members to stand up for their rights, wherever and whenever those rights are being chal- lenged. To argue that unions should restrict their activities to the bargaining table is to assert that the well-being of workers is determined only in the workplace. We know that's not true. Health and safety laws, laws on overtime and even laws that govern how unions operate or are established, have a direct impact on workers, their wages, health and safety, and the ability of their union to represent their interests. Weaken workplace laws, as then-Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak proposed, and unions would be remiss to impose a gag order on themselves. Such social bargaining is not only essential to unions fulfilling their responsibility to completely represent their members, but helps all workers by improving labour laws and improving working conditions generally. But maybe that's the problem. For those who would restrict the role of unions, such efforts are a threat to their profits and power — and so must be stopped. A union's responsibilities to its members don't change depend- ing on who that union repre- sents. Besides being journalists, Unifor Local 87-M's members are ordinary working Ontarians, with families who would have been hurt by Hudak's anti-labour policies. In that, they are no less deserving of their union's best ef- forts to stand up for them. Unions had a responsibility during the recent Ontario elec- tion to ensure their members, who rely on their union to protect their rights, were aware of the threat posed by a Hudak government. The focus of the labour movement's activities was to make sure Ontario voters — whether union members or not — were aware of the alarming consequences of a vote for Hu- dak's Conservatives. Con: Bargaining dues are for just that -- bargaining thE CAnAdiAn Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has long been keen on the sub- ject of union dues, how they are collected, and how they are ap- plied. We are part of the Canadian LabourWatch Association and closely monitor the tactics em- ployed by unions. In some cas- es, I'm afraid, these tactics are completely undemocratic and counter the interests not only of small businesses, but of workers as well. This was evident during the recent Ontario election where we saw a number of big unions and union-funded groups undertake a massive — and expensive — me- dia campaign to try and influence voters. This was a campaign fund- ed by dues collected from union members, many of whom may not agree with the political leanings of the union leadership, and none of whom consented to having their dues used in this way. The fundamental problem, of course, is an anachronistic system that allows unions to mandate that all workers in a unionized work- place must pay dues, regardless of whether they are members of the union in question. Canada is the only country in the industrialized world that still allows this undem- ocratic practice. Barring a change to this rule, the CFIB would like to see, at a minimum, optional union dues for any union activities that are not directly related to collective bargaining. This would allow workers to opt out of funding par- tisan political advertisements that might not reflect their views. Although the CFIB is strictly non-partisan, we do collect voluntary membership fees that we use to fund our advocacy, and we frequently survey our members to ensure that we speak for them. I suggest that unions adopt a similar model in the future, in order to protect the rights of workers, and to ensure that unions truly represent the views of their members. We pit two heavyweight players against each other to gain insight on hot-bed labour issues. Herewith, Canadian Federation of Independent Business president, Dan Kelly, takes on Unifor's media industry chair, Randy Kitt, to tackle the question: Should union dues be spent on non-bargaining political activity? Dan Kelly, president of the Cana- dian Federation of Independent Business. Randy Kitt, media industry chair at Unifor.

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